Post misleads with old video about Trump, Clinton prosecution | Fact check

Nate Trela, USA TODAY
·3 min read
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The claim: Donald Trump announced that prosecution of Hillary Clinton is ‘moving forward’

An April 23 Facebook video shows what appears to be a news report about a recent statement from former President Donald Trump.

"Breaking Trump quietly announces Hillary’s prosecution is moving forward," reads the Facebook video's title.

The post was shared more than 1,000 times in a month.

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Our rating: False

This video is from 2016, and there is no evidence Trump recently made an announcement about pursuing charges against former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. Trump has no power to direct prosecutorial decisions.

Old words presented as new

There are no credible news reports about criminal charges proceeding against Clinton. And if such a thing did happen, it wouldn't be with involvement from Trump, who announced a 2024 presidential run in November 2022.

The Facebook video shows a clip from a YouTube show produced by the Next News Network, which bills itself as “The Right Source For News.” The video has graphics referencing "Selection 2016" and was first posted on YouTube on Nov. 27, 2016.

In the video, the host claims Trump's 2016 refusal to pursue charges against Clinton for her use of a private email server is disingenuous. He points to a Nov. 22, 2016, tweet from New York Times reporter Maggie Haberman as evidence Trump could still support prosecution. At the time, Trump was president-elect.

The clip has nothing to do with the current state of affairs with Clinton.

The FBI in 2016 investigated allegations that Clinton and her staff mishandled classified information during her tenure as secretary of state. The FBI recommended against filing charges against Clinton, who at the time was the Democratic presidential nominee. The Department of Justice then officially closed its investigation.

Fact check: Supreme Court has no power to remove senator

In 2018, the New York Times reported Trump wanted to order the Justice Department to prosecute Clinton and James Comey, who was FBI director when the agency wrapped up its investigation into Clinton’s use of the server.

USA TODAY reached out to the social media user who shared the video for comment and did not immediately get a response.

PolitiFact and Check Your Fact also debunked this claim.

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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Video of Trump discussing Clinton prosecution from 2016 | Fact check